Choose one of the following: The Piano Lesson by August Wilson or
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel by Ray Bradbury published in 1953. It
is regarded as one of his best works. The novel presents a future
American society where books are outlawed and "firemen" burn any
that are found. The title refers to the temperature that Bradbury
understood to be the autoignition point of paper. The novel has
been the subject of interpretations primarily focusing on the
historical role of book burning in suppressing dissenting ideas.
In a 1956 radio interview, Bradbury stated that he wrote
Fahrenheit 451 because of his concerns at the time (during
the McCarthy era) of the threat of book burning in the United
States.
Source: Wikipedia.com
ENGLISH 3 SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENTS:
q 1. Choose one of two novels, The Piano Lesson by August Wilson or Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury,
and complete the Thematic Close Reading assignment (Directions included in this packet).
q 2. Read and annotate the attached article entitled: “Korean Families Chase Their Dreams In the U.S.”
q 3. Answer the guided question sheet and write a 500-word argument essay based on response to the
prompt.
Check off each assignment after you’ve completed it!
ENGLISH 3 SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT: THE PIANO LESSON
The following thematic elements are central to August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson. While reading the play,
collect related quotations on index cards and keep them in a labeled envelope. Ultimately, the passages you
select will support your arguments for a Socratic Seminar. You should create a minimum of six cards for each of
the play’s two acts.
DIRECTIONS:
1. Select one of the five listed themes.
2. On the front of the envelope, write your name, date, and theme.
3. In the envelope place a total of 12 index cards
4. Use the index cards to write a quote that supports the theme on your envelope. The front of the index card
should include the quote, character, and the page number (parenthetical citation). On the back of the card write
your commentary analyzing the quote and tell how it is linked to the theme.
CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING THEMES:
Leaving a Mark on the World
The Role of Women in the African American Family
The Role Music Plays in Black Life
Ownership and Property
Overcoming Death
AN EXAM PLE F OR TH E T HEME, “GEN ERATI ONAL CON FLIC TS BETWEEN FATH ERS AND SONS” FR OM T HE BOOK FEN CES.
FRONT OF ENVELOPE:
Derrick Jones
AP Language & Composition
August 9, 2015
Theme: “Generational Conflicts Between Fathers and Sons”
Fences by August Wilson
FRONT OF INDEX CARD
ON BACK OF CARD (YOUR COMMENTS):
"You got to take the crookeds with the
straights. That's what Papa used to say."
(Lyons, Page 46)
Lyons is repeating something his father, Troy, used to say
to him. It is a moment when Lyons is reflecting on his life
and realizes that some of his father’s views may be right.
Lyons looks at how tough his life has been, based on the
decisions he has made because of his dream of being a
successful jazz musician. He now understands that you have
to accept the bad, just as much as you accept the good, and
that both are a part of life. I think Lyons regrets some of
the actions he has taken to reach his goal because he has
not held down a steady job and he still depends on his
father for financial support, which is the basis for most
of the arguments and conflicts he has with his father.
ENGLISH 3 SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT: FAHRENHEIT 451
The following thematic elements are central to Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. While reading the book, collect
related quotations on index cards and keep them in a labeled envelope. Ultimately, the passages you select will
support your arguments for a Socratic Seminar. You should create a minimum of four cards for each of the three
sections: “The Hearth and the Salamander,” “The Sieve and the Sand,” and “Burning Bright.”
DIRECTIONS:
1. Select one of the five listed themes.
2. On the front of the envelope, write your name, date, and theme.
3. In the envelope place a total of 12 index cards
4. Use the index cards to write a quote that supports the theme on your envelope. The front of the index card
should include the quote, character, and the page number (parenthetical citation). On the back of the card write
your commentary analyzing the quote and tell how it is linked to the theme.
CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING THEMES:
Censorship of Ideas
The Impact of Ignorance vs. Knowledge
The Importance of Individuality
The Role of Technology in Modern Society
AN EXAMP LE FOR TH E TH EM E, “ GEN ERAT ION AL CON F LIC TS BETWEEN F AT H ERS AN D SON S” F ROM TH E B OOK FENC ES .
FRONT OF ENVELOPE:
Derrick Jones
AP Language & Composition
August 9, 2015
Theme: “Generational Conflicts Between Fathers and Sons”
Fences by August Wilson
FRONT OF INDEX CARD
"You got to take the crookeds with the
straights. That's what Papa used to say."
(Lyons, Page 46)
ON BACK OF CARD (YOUR COMMENTS):
Lyons is repeating something his father, Troy, used to say to
him. It is a moment when Lyons is reflecting on his life and
realizes that some of his father’s views may be right. Lyons
looks at how tough his life has been, based on the decisions
he has made because of his dream of being a successful jazz
musician. He now understands that you have to accept the bad,
just as much as you accept the good, and that both are a part
of life. I think Lyons regrets some of the actions he has
taken to reach his goal because he has not held down a steady
job and he still depends on his father for financial support,
which is the basis for most of the arguments and conflicts he
has with his father.
Name _______________________________________
Date___________
Score______
Using Concrete Details to Support an Argument
Answer the following questions and write a short argument essay (500 words) based on the attached
article entitled, “Korean Families Chase Their Dreams In the U.S.”
1. What is the main idea of the article?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What details support that idea?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Explain what the word “animosity” means (using details from the text)?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
4. What is a “goose” family?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
5. What can you learn from the photograph on the top left corner. (And what does it add about the
meaning of the text)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Searching for The American Dream Short Essay
DIRECTIONS: On a separate sheet of paper, write a well-developed 500-word
argument essay in response to the following prompt.
In the article, “Korean Families Chase Their Dreams In the U.S,” Woosuk Kim’s family
has made many sacrifices in their search for the American Dream. Discuss what the
American Dream means to Kim’s family, the sacrifices they have made to pursue that
dream, and if you believe their struggles have been worth the effort. Use specific
examples from the text to support your ideas.
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Korean Families Chase Their Dreams In The U.S.
By MARTIN KASTE
All Things Considered, National Public Radio
July 11, 2012 4:17 PM ET
“I think whole life is
competition when they grow
up. But when they are young,
when they are small kids, they
need some happiness."
- Hyungsoo Kim, on why he's
brought his children to the
U.S. for an education
Martin Kaste/NPR
Hyungsoo Kim brought his sons Woosuk (left) and Whoohyun to California from Korea so the boys could get an American publicschool education. In "goose families," one parent migrates to an English-speaking country with the children, while the other parent
stays in Korea.
Eleven-year-old Woosuk Kim sees his mother only three or four times a year. That's because
he's part of what Koreans call a "goose family": a family that migrates in search of Englishlanguage schooling.
A goose family, Woosuk explains, means "parents — mom and dad — have to be separate
for the kids' education."
Woosuk's father brought him and his little brother to America two years ago to attend
Hancock Park Elementary, a public school in Los Angeles. The boys' mother stayed in South
Korea to keep working.
Woosuk's family is unusual. In most cases, it's the father who stays behind. "Goose fathers"
are even a fixture of South Korean TV dramas, usually appearing as lonely drudges, working
nonstop to support their families abroad.
Goose families prefer to migrate to English-speaking countries. New Zealand and Australia
are popular, but the United States is especially prized. And in the U.S., one of the favorite
"port of entry" schools is Hancock Park.
A School Transformed
"I would say that we have a very significant Korean population," says Principal Ashley
Parker. "They start first grade, second grade — we have new fifth-graders coming from
Korea."
A generation ago, Hancock Park was predominantly Jewish. Now it's 37 percent ethnic
Korean. The school doesn't track the students' citizenship, so it's impossible to know how
many are Korean nationals; but they've become a significant population in this school.
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Shari Cooper, a volunteer for the school's parent organization, gets regular inquiries from
prospective new "goose families."
"From Korean families, I probably get three to four emails every month. And just this week,
I've had four, because over the summer is when most of the families come," Cooper says.
Some of the Koreans come because a parent has found a job in Los Angeles. But when just
a mother arrives with her children, they're usually here for the school. Jihyun Lee brought her
children over last year.
"[My husband] wanted [our kids] to come to a more globalized place, so that their minds
become more globalized, larger," Lee says through a translator.
Lee says her kids are here not only to learn English, but also to gain a special edge when
they go back home. Lee's Korean-American friend, Diana Park, explains that having lived in
America carries significant status.
"If you do not have the American experience and you live in Korea, it's not the same as
people who've been here," Park says. "They treat you differently in Korea if you say you've
been in America."
Reading, Writing And Recess
And there's something else: Many of these goose parents — including Lee — say they're
also here to get away from Korean schools.
"Although the academics in Korea are more rigorous, there's no creative mind there," says
Park, translating for Lee. "Everything's rote memorization, and it's purely academic — there's
no individual thought in their teaching."
Goose family migration combines educational ambition with a desire for leisure. To be blunt,
for these Korean kids, American schools represent a chance to relax a little. When Lee
asked her kids what they liked about their first year in an American school, the first thing they
said was "recess."
"Apparently they don't have recess in Korea," Park adds. "They get time to eat and that's it,
and then I think right after school they go to another after-school program. So they don't
really get any recess or any time to play."
The American parents at the school are proud of its above-average standardized test scores,
so it can be a little disconcerting to hear that the Korean kids see it as a place to kick back.
Shari Cooper says she considers the Koreans to be a salutary academic challenge for her
own kids, and she says relations with the Korean families are generally good.
In Tough Times, Some Tension
Still, given the painful budget cuts in Los Angeles public schools, there has also been some
grumbling.
"They were feeling like, wait a second, you know, why are these families driving up in these
expensive cars and dressing so well — they should be giving to the school,' " Cooper says.
"So there was a little bit of animosity. You felt it at the meetings; you didn't feel it on the
playground so much."
Cooper says the booster club has done a better job of getting Korean parents to donate to
the fund drive, and tensions have eased. Now, when she gets emails from South Korea
inquiring about tuition at Hancock Park, she says she answers that it's a free public school —
but that fund drive donations are appreciated.
In some other countries, like New Zealand, goose families are charged to attend public
schools. Cooper says she wouldn't want to see that in the U.S.
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"It doesn't sound like a very American way to go," she says. "It's a free country with a free
public education, and if you start charging people, they're going to start feeling more like
visitors. They're not going to be invested in the school and the country in the same way."
Migrating From School To School
But while the goose families may feel invested in Hancock Park, they don't seem to feel the
same dedication to the larger Los Angeles public school system. Once their kids finish
elementary school, they tend to move on.
"Schools in L.A. [are] very terrible now," says Hyungsoo Kim, Woosuk's "goose father." As
soon as Woosuk finished fifth grade, he moved the boys to a new gated community in
Orange County so they could be close to good middle schools.
Woosuk says he's already run into familiar faces there.
"There's many families from Hancock Park [that have moved] to Irvine. Yeah, to our
neighborhood," he says.
In fact, goose families tend to follow a kind of wagon trail of American public education,
moving from district to district as their kids age through the system. That journey often
culminates on one of the campuses of the University of California.
Sitting by the pool outside their new Orange County apartment, Hyungsoo Kim says he's
pleased America has given his boys the chance to relax.
"I think whole life is competition when they grow up," he says. "But when they are young,
when they are small kids, they need some happiness."
His sons agree. Back home, they say, Korean kids are now suffering through a pile of summer vacation
homework. Here in America, there's little danger of that.